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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22429579">Let Me Put You Back Together</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/APenguinAteMySmarthphone/pseuds/APenguinAteMySmarthphone'>APenguinAteMySmarthphone</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Prince of Legend (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Betrayal, Emotional Constipation, I put a relationship tag but this isn't supposed to be shippy, I say violence but is it graphic? who knows, I'm tRyInG to make people sad, Not Canon Compliant, Violence, let a guy dream, more like what I wanna see, oh yeah I'll explain the names in the notes, sorta my prediction for the movie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 08:20:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,066</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22429579</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/APenguinAteMySmarthphone/pseuds/APenguinAteMySmarthphone</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A what-if scenario for the upcoming movie where Ryu, Kaiji, and Riku break into Club Noble to drag Koki out and get him to talk to them. Except it goes horribly wrong, and the person they're trying to save gets further driven into a corner, psychologically, and the other three get badly hurt, and not a single person here, not even Noire's teddy bear, is ok.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kyougoku Ryu &amp; Tendo Koki &amp; Hiura Kaiji &amp; Odajima Riku, Kyougoku Ryu/Tendo Koki (slight)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Ando Shintarou=Dory<br/>Kuon Seiichirou=Raphael<br/>Tendo Koki= Louis<br/>Pink haired guy= Noire<br/>Wild haired guy= Pierre</p>
<p>There's one guy with the host name "Michelle" (as written on the series' twitter account) but I have no clue whether that's the spelling they're gonna go with, but y'know what the movie isn't even out yet and this is just me headcanoning (literally) and saying "I can do what I f***ing want"</p>
<p>If any of you reading this are seriously invested in the upcoming movie and want ZERO spoilers, then I recommend caution. Regardless of whether I'm correct or not with some of my guesses, if any of it contains possible spoilers, then I'd feel bad (even though I kinda wanna be right! but still!). But, y'know, it's a thing I wrote for fun so having anyone pass by and enjoying it is always best.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The blows came quick and strong, and Ryu could barely get in a breath before the first punch was followed by another quick jab. His opponent’s fist dug itself deep into his guts, and somewhere above him he heard a harsh ringing. It was all he could do to steady himself to block the next hit; his arms moved agonizingly slow, and sharp pain coursed through them as fists decorated with shiny, metallic rings dug themselves in, so harsh that he felt, for a moment, his arms had snapped. Thrown off balance, he tottered to the side and fell over, pain coursing through his body anew with the impact. </p>
<p>Through the red haze that was slowly creeping over his vision, he could distinctly make out the shape of the man who had been steadily beating the life out of him. Blood filled his mouth and he wanted to spit it out, all over this man’s neatly ironed shirt and his expensive fur coat. As if sensing this, the figure’s face twisted into a sadistic smirk, and then he slammed his foot, hard, into Ryu’s chest, knocking the wind out of him and reigniting the pain anew. It took all his willpower not to scream.</p>
<p>Fuck, fuck, fuck, that hurt. His consciousness was flickering, and the man’s face changed, flitting from his own grinning visage, to his old classmates’ trusting eyes, then to his brother’s kind smile (but there was no way he’d be there, he was hiding, he was safe…), then to Seiichirou’s appraising gaze, then to Koki’s wide-eyed look of horrified terror… </p>
<p>““Ryu!””</p>
<p>He heard both shouts, and craned his neck ever so slightly, counting Kaiji and Riku in his peripheral vision, the former struggling against a host with wild hair pinned back so that he looked somewhat like a windswept lion, and the latter also lying on the floor, one arm pinned behind him by a smiling pink haired kid, who was happily waving a teddy bear tauntingly in their general direction, something so out of place that he had to do a double take and squint to make sure he was seeing things right.</p>
<p>It was almost enough to make him laugh, but all came out was a garbled sound that could be identified as something between a croak and a wheeze. </p>
<p>OW.</p>
<p>He heard a sharp tutting noise, and he turned his gaze back towards the man, who was staring down at him with thinly veiled disdain.<br/>
“How unsightly,” the man yawned, eyes sweeping over the mess the three of them had caused, “Simply astonishing that Suzaku keeps such vulgar company in his presence. Wouldn’t you agree, Raphael?” </p>
<p>Seiichirou, who had been calmly surveying the scene, nodded. “Of course, Dory, sir. It’s one of the many reasons I left.”</p>
<p>“As you should have,” Dory (that was his name, that strange combination of letters that held no meaning outside of being a fancy alias, just like everyone else here…) smirked, apparently satisfied by the answer, “And it seems two of your friends were wise enough to do so as well.”</p>
<p>Then there was an awful pause, like that small moment of quiet before the worst of the storm hits, and then Dory was leaning over Ryu again, his smirk having vanished, “At least, one of them was.”</p>
<p>Takato’s betrayal had been something neither side had seen coming; not Ryu and the others when he’d left their school and turned his back on Kanade, and not Dory and his club when Takato had done a complete one eighty and revealed his status as a double agent, there to steal any valuable information that may come in handy.</p>
<p>It was laughable, Ryu thought, both that he’d ever doubted his brother and that Dory had seriously trusted him; thought that he’d genuinely wanted to join. Seiichirou aside, the only other person who had deflected had a valid enough reason for having wanted to so. </p>
<p>The person in question was staring down in abject horror from the top of a stairwell, eyes widened in disbelief as if he hadn’t been gazing at the scene of carnage for over twenty minutes. When his eyes met Ryu’s, he averted his face, as if afraid to get scorched by his gaze. </p>
<p>Dory followed Ryu’s line of vision to the top of the stairs, before flitting to look downwards yet again. His eyes had regained their calm, their earlier rage already a distant memory, now taking on a look of contemplation. </p>
<p>“Louis, come down here.”</p>
<p>The name was unfamiliar, but the face popped back over the railing, eyes fixed firmly downward, voice shaky and uncertain. When Ryu saw, through his blurring vision, the slight shaking of his shoulders, he wanted to get up, ribs be damned, and go hug him, and tell him everything was going to be alright. Even if they both knew it was a lie.</p>
<p>Koki had changed, yet not changed at all. By all intents and purposes, he was the same Koki, the same boy who had been the center of Team NEXT; yes, he was in a suit, and his hair had been styled neatly, but it was still the same red hair, the same face with the small mole under his right eye, the same youthful face. </p>
<p>(It’s a small wonder, Ryu mused offhandedly, that no one ever questions his presence here; even at the high school he’d looked much younger and slightly out of place.)</p>
<p>But it was also not the same Koki; his face, usually so expressive that he couldn’t hide his emotions to save his life, was almost a mask, and he no longer walked around energetically. His movements seemed guarded. He was masquerading, Ryu realized, just like every other person in this building, in this district; pretending to be someone they were not, integrating themselves into the life of the Night. </p>
<p>“Tell me, Louis,” Dory’s face was calm, even as he continued to dig his foot into Ryu’s chest, “Are these ‘friends’ of yours normally so persistent? I believe we cleared up all misunderstandings about you being here, did we not? They know you are working here of your own volition, yes?”</p>
<p>“Of course.” Louis- Koki- murmured, voice barely audible over the occasional rattling breath of a host the three of them had beaten up and left sprawled on the floor.</p>
<p>“Of course what?” Dory smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes, and the sheer pressure radiating off of him cowed everyone there for a moment. In the corner of his eye, Ryu noticed Seiichirou furrowing his brow in… was that concern?</p>
<p>It didn’t last; Koki had started talking again, and Ryu found his gaze drawn back to that trembling figure.</p>
<p>God, he thought, and he could feel a part of his heart break as he stared at his friend, why does he look so small?</p>
<p>“I mean… of course they understand. I told them. I needed…” the boy froze, his eyes travelling tentatively upward before retreating back to the floor again, “I told them I needed the job. That I’m doing this of my own free will. That I’m… I’m fine.”</p>
<p>It was as if a dam had broken, and the flood was Koki’s words, angry and bitter and scared, yet doubtful and uncertain. </p>
<p>“I’m fine. I’m alright. I keep telling you guys that, why won’t you leave me alone? So what if he takes the school. You’re all gonna graduate eventually, aren’t you? Find another, fancier building; I’m sure the Board has plenty of money to spare.” Koki gave a bitter laugh that gave way to a glare brimming with anger, “But I don’t. And I’m trying to grow up, but you all keep telling me to come back, and I’m tired, and I just want…” He stopped, wiping his eyes with the back of his hands, “I just want to be left alone.”</p>
<p>“Do you really mean that, Koki?” It’s Riku, and his voice is gentle, consoling, like a mother soothing an upset child. “Do you really want us to leave you alone? To never see you again?”</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t do it even if you asked me to with all your soul,” Kaiji, who has finally broke off his struggle with the wild-haired host and successfully shoved him aside, shouts angrily, a rarity for him, as he props himself up against the wall and glowers at Koki, “I wouldn’t leave you to suffer by yourself, Koki.” His eyes turn kind, and he gazes at his friend fondly, with warmth. “No matter how much you push us away, we’re gonna keep coming back. We’re your friends, y’know? We love you.”</p>
<p>“How very touching,” Dory drawls, “But I’m afraid we don’t have time for your little youth drama to continue. I’ll have to ask you all to leave, one final time, before I forcefully remove you from the premises.”</p>
<p>“Go ahead and try,” Ryu spat, despite the pain rattling in his chest as a result. “We’ll keep coming, over and over, until you give us Koki back.”</p>
<p>A glob of blood was sitting in his mouth, but he swallowed it down before angrily continuing, “Go away? Leave you alone? Like hell we could. Kaiji’s right, Koki; we’re your friends. And I’d rather die than leave my friend alone, cooped up in a world he really doesn’t want to be in. You don’t realize it, but we do; you’re suffering. And whether you like it or not, we’re gonna take that suffering and kick it in the ass, until you can smile again.”</p>
<p>There’s a moment of stunned silence, and then someone- the pink haired guy pinning Riku down- lets out a whistle of mocking admiration. As if a spell has been broken, Dory starts to move again, only it’s to double over. Ryu wonders for a split second if they’d broken him, until he realizes the host is laughing, laughing at him and his friends, at their efforts to reach Koki’s heart, and he snaps.</p>
<p>“WHAT THE HELL IS SO FUNNY, HUH?! <em>ANSWER<em> ME, ASSHOLE!”</em></em></p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>But Dory keeps laughing, and Seiichirou shoots a worried look at the other hosts; one, a man with delicate features who Dory had called the club’s “no. 2”, gazes at his leader calmy, whilst he laughs his head off.</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>“Do you hear this child, Michelle?! What he’s saying? I can’t…” He covers his face with a hand, still laughing. But when he removes the hand, Ryu is shocked to notice a hint of resigned bitterness in his expression.</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>“I would have said that, once,” He looks down at Ryu, and his gaze is almost… pitying. “But we here at Club Noble can no longer afford such privileges, I’m afraid. Isn’t that right, Pierre? Noire? Raphael?” </em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>He turns dramatically around, arms spread, surveying each of them. “We are Club Noble! And we will crush the elite of today, who tramp over our lives! We threw everything we had away and exchanged it for this, this faux luxury, this night world! But…” His gaze turns to Koki, who stiffens reflexively, “One of us still has a tie to his past we must severe.” His eye travels to Koki’s ear, where the Team NEXT earring hangs, gleaming and catching the light. “I’d overlooked this until now, but it seems that we’ve given your friends some misconceptions about you; they still think you can turn back.”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>Koki’s hand twitched, as if to shoot up to cover his earring. Dory didn’t miss the movement; his eyes narrowed, and his arms lowered, only for one of them to extend a hand in the boy’s direction.</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>“Louis.” Koki flinches at the name, but Dory ignores it and keeps speaking, “Give me the earring. If you give me the earring now, I’ll let your friends go without hurting them any further.”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>“Don’t,” Ryu propped himself upright, wincing at the aches in his joints, and wiped the last of the blood from the corner of his mouth, “Don’t, Koki. I know how much it’s worth to you; what it means. Don’t give it to him.”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>(Because it would break Kaiji and Riku, who share the same earring, and then that would break you, and by extension, me.)</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>“I don’t see the problem,” drawls the pink haired kid- Noire- as he gets off of Riku and strides over to Pierre, who’s rubbing a bruise on his arm, “It’s just an earring, sir. Are we really going to let them get away if Louis gives up his earring? They might know something they’re not supposed to.”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>Dory shrugs, “What good would it do for them? Kyougoku Takato already made off with some of this so-called valuable information. What they know won’t hurt them, and as far as I’m concerned, they know nothing at all.”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>Koki shoots the three of them a desperate glance, before reaching up a trembling hand to take the earring out.</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>“Good boy,” Dory murmurs, just as Ryu shouts at Koki to stop, to not cave. You don’t have to do this, he wants to say, we’ll be fine.</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>But the earring is out, and Koki has surrendered it to Dory, who barely gives it a glace before slipping it in the pocket of his jacket. </em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>“As promised,” he smiles, gently, “Michelle, Raphael, show our guests out.”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>Amid protests from Kaiji and Riku, who are both forced to their feet, Ryu tries to make his way towards Koki, to ask him what the hell was that, why did you cave, I told you we’d be fine, didn’t I? But he's grabbed by the shoulders, and before he knows what’s happening Seiichirou is dragging him along, with the other man, Michelle, who has the other two grabbed firmly by the arms. </em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>He turns one last time to see Koki staring at them all despondently, and even though he’s unsure if the boy will hear his voice at this point, he shouts at him anyway.</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>“Come back, alright?! Even without your earring, you’re still Team NEXT’s center! You’re still our basketball ace! You’re still that shy, clumsy, overly energetic guy who doesn’t know when to quit! You’re still our friend! Earring or no, you’re still Tendo Koki, and we want you to come home!”</em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em>He thinks he sees him lift his head, a fraction of an inch, but before their eyes can meet they’ve been dragged to the front, and the heavy wooden doors have slammed in their faces, blocking them from each other.</em>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Changed the spelling of Koki's host name from "Louis" to "Louie" for the time being. In French, they're both pronounced the same, but I figured remembering his name would be easier if the spelling stuck closer to the pronunciation. </p>
<p>Anyway here's another chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It takes an hour to clean up the blood painted across the floors, and another hour to clean up the glass and put away every broken ornament. By the time they’re all done, everyone is exhausted; even the former construction workers like Pierre and Dory can’t mask their fatigue. Koki himself wants nothing more than to just go home, but he knows that after today, he can’t- shouldn’t- leave quite yet. So instead he waits, fearful of what his fellow hosts will do to him.</p>
<p>They’re not cruel, or even remotely mean. Today’s spectacle aside, they all have their own quirks and good sides, and in Koki’s mind, had they met the students of Sei Brilliant High, he’s confident that they all would have gotten along. He almost wishes they had.</p>
<p>“Louie,” Seiichirou is staring at him, expression as impassive as his voice is calm, “Dory is calling all of us.”</p>
<p>They’re not cruel or mean, he reminds himself, but he still can’t stop terror and dread from bubbling in the pit of his stomach. His position here, in the Night Ring itself, is already fragile; he is a minor, and this is the last place on Earth he should be working at. Even if the Night Ring is considered untouchable by law, he knows that they can only go so far over the line. And while no one threatens him with the prospect, he knows he could lose his place here, if he causes any trouble, because his actions run the greater risk of the law deciding to breath down their necks. He knows there is only so much the authorities are willing to overlook.</p>
<p>But he cannot- will not- lose his position here. No matter how much Ryu, or Kaiji, or Riku, beg and plead and pull, he can’t go back, not anymore, especially not after today. Even if a part of him knows that’s all he wants to do.</p>
<p>“Louie.” Seiichirou’s voice is more commanding now, and he involuntarily stiffens up.</p>
<p>“I’m coming.” It’s the first thing he has uttered, he realizes, in the last two hours.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Dory’s office is as fancy as usual, but the air within it is oppressive and prickly, and Koki fights back the urge to bolt out of there. Pierre is restless and scowling, most likely from the pain of being slammed into the floor. Noire yawns. Someone coughs awkwardly. </p>
<p>“Dory,” Michelle called, stepping forward, “The guests have all been securely shown out. None of our customers witnessed what happened today. We are safe to reopen tomorrow night.”</p>
<p>“Good,” Dory tilts his head back, “And Raphael?”</p>
<p>“It seems no one was hurt too badly,” Seiichirou reports, as efficient and calm as he was under Kanade, “Most of them claim they will be able to come in for work tomorrow. However, I would advise that you hold off reopening for one night.”</p>
<p>“And why is that?”</p>
<p>“We don’t know how often or when those three plan on returning,” Seiichirou frowned, “Quite frankly, I wouldn’t be shocked if all of them showed up tomorrow, ready for a fight, despite the thorough beating we gave them. I would suggest holding off reopening for at least one night, at the very least so that some of the more greatly wounded can recover.”</p>
<p>“If our guys need time to recover, so do they,” Noire called lazily from the line, “There’s no point holding off reopening, because by the time our guys get better, I’m sure they will as well.”</p>
<p>“I’m with Noire,” Pierre piped up, “No offense, Raphael, but I don’t think we need a full house to reopen. We’ll just say some guys couldn’t show up that night, if anyone asks, and I’m sure there’s enough of us to cover for them.”</p>
<p>“Alright,” Dory sighed, “We’ll reopen tomorrow, but I don’t want anyone to mention what happened tonight. Do you all understand?”</p>
<p>After they all murmured their assent, Dory waved his hands as if to dismiss them. Having been let free to go, Koki immediately made a beeline for the door; his head felt heavier than lead and he was desperate to get some sleep. </p>
<p>“Ah, Louie, wait,” Koki felt the blood in his veins turn to ice, and he froze midstep, watching as everyone else walked past, some of them turning and stopping as well at Dory’s call. “All of you, leave; I need to speak to Louie.”</p>
<p>At this point, Koki couldn’t stop the slight bit of resentment welling up in him, but he quickly tempered it down, desperate to keep any emotions off his face. He could feel the sympathy in some of their stares- or just the blatant curiosity- and he turned to Dory, who also beckoned to Seiichirou to stay as well. As soon as the room was empty, Seiichirou slowly opened his mouth.</p>
<p>“It’s not Louie’s fault that those three showed up today, sir. They’re all from Sei Brilliant High; someone, sooner or later, was bound to show up. If not them, it could’ve been Kanade, or Gen, or Aoi and the student council, or anyone else. It does us no favors to be too harsh to him.”</p>
<p>Koki blinked, and he couldn’t tell if he felt grateful or suprised. Even if they were both former schoolmates, Seiichirou had been his senior and, while he had no concrete reason for believing this, he had had the impression that he hadn’t been overly fond of him, or the rest of Team NEXT, or, quite frankly, anyone aside from Kanade. If he was stretching it a bit, he could add Kaburagi Gen to the equation, but aside from that, he’d never thought that the older boy would ever stick up for him. </p>
<p>“I know it’s not his fault,” Dory said calmly, “But I still need to talk to him. To both of you.”</p>
<p>Seiichirou’s back straightens, and Koki can almost envision his spine stiffening. His own legs feel like goo, and he’s pretty sure that if he looked in a mirror, he would see a boy seconds from crying staring back at him.</p>
<p>
Why did Dory scare him so much? The man had never been particularly awful, and aside from being a commanding presence who ran the most powerful club in all of the Night Ring, he also happened to be picking a fight with one of the country’s wealthiest and most influential families whose son also happened to be a figure of charisma at one of the best schools in the country. And he also happened to be picking a fight with that son too. A fight that, for the time being, he seemed to have the upper hand on.
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em></em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>Maybe he did have a good reason to be scared.</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em></em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>“Louie.” Dory began, slowly, and in the back of his mind Koki realized, for no apparent reason, that he didn’t know most of these people’s names. Only Seiichirou’s. There was a brief moment of dizziness; who were these people that he was serving? He didn’t know them at all.</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em></em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>“I need you to understand,” Dory was still saying, slowly, as if he were somehow aware that Koki’s mind was not fully here, “That we are at war with Sei Brilliant High. We are taking their school, and they stand in our way. Hence, there will be conflict.” </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em></em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>“I understand.” Koki murmured. </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em></em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>“Do you?” Dory’s eyes narrowed. “I know why you’re here. What you want and what you need. But what you must understand is that because you have chosen to stand here, you have to fully commit yourself to this role. No half-hearted wishing to return, no secret yearning for your friends to rescue you.” </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em></em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>Koki shook his head, but he knew that everything this man said was true. The words were biting, and seeped into his head like poison, and he wanted to deny them with all his being.</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em></em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>But he couldn’t, not when he remembered how he’d felt like crying when he saw his friends getting thrashed by the other hosts. He had almost cried out, several times. While he’d stayed silent, he’d felt something wither and die. He wondered, suddenly, what Dory would have done to him if he’d let it all out; if he’d screamed for them to stop, if he’d cried until his throat was raw. He wondered what would have happened if he’d run up to his friend then and there, had let Kaiji pull him into a hug, had let Riku comfortingly take his hands and then fold him into his chest gently, tenderly, like a parent to a sobbing child. </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <em></em>
  </em>
</p>
<p>He wondered what would have become of him if he’d taken Ryu’s hands, had let them whisk him off to some other place. They always did; Ryu made him feel like his efforts were never meaningless, that he really had grown as a person. That he was special, that he was worth something. It was a different feeling, nicer, more whole, than the false feeling of gaudiness the world of clubs offered.</p>
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<p>He wondered how Dory would respond if he told him this, all of it. How he wanted to dance with Kaiji and Riku again, how he wanted them to tease him and treat him as if he were their child, just as they always had. How he wanted to argue with Ryu again, to bounce a basketball between the two of them, to have Ryu watch their dance practices. </p>
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<p>How he so desperately wanted to be back with the only people who genuinely, from the very bottom of their hearts, loved him for who he is, who cared for him, who looked at his shattered self and only thought of how to mend him, not minding the cracks or the mess that spilled out from beneath.</p>
<p>
  <em>But you will never get it again.<em></em></em>
</p>
<p>He knows that. And that’s why he looks at Dory, straight in the eyes, and nods his assent.</p>
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<p>Because if he opened his mouth, only a cry would emerge.</p>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Do I like making people suffer? Yes, I do.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I actually watched the second season without watching the first. It was surprisingly easy to understand. And then I saw the trailer for the movie coming in March, and I was intrigued. So I wrote a "what-if" scenario where I basically try to guess part of the plot and see how accurate I am. </p>
<p>I hope you enjoyed reading this. I always ask for comments, but, y'know, I want affirmation that maybe there's someone who likes my writing enough to say hi. As needy as that sounds. I just wanna be able to communicate but I'm too scared my comments on other people's works sound too boring :')</p></blockquote></div></div>
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